152 H. LEAVIS NOTES ON BIBDS 



proceed to engage the young, and each lawn and thicket becomes 

 a battle-field; but so far from the vulgar belief of the latter 

 destroying the former being well founded, the young are almost 

 invariably worsted, and possession remains with the victorious 

 parents." 



WooD-WEEisr {PhyUoscopus sihilatrix). — Mr. Alan F. Grossman 

 informs me that in May or June last year, whilst riding through 

 Ashridge Park and across Berkhamsted Common, he noticed that 

 the wood- wren " was fairly plentiful, there being a bird singing 

 in most of the clumps of beeches." 



Wren {Troglodytes parvulm). — On one occasion during a hard 

 frost, when walking along a lane, I chanced to see a wren on the 

 hedge-bank actively engaged, and I wondered how the little 

 creature managed to exist dui-ing such cold weather. However, 

 the bird soon found two or three larvae (they looked like wire- 

 worms) which I noticed in its bill. I searched in vain myself 

 for any. 



Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). — Mrs. Kember, of Harpenden, on 

 the 5th of November, 1894, reported having seen "not long since," 

 near Harpenden, one of those wondrous gatherings of starlings 

 which occasionally take place. 



Cpcxoo {Cuculus canorus). — From the reports and correspondence 

 which have appeared both in the ' Zoologist ' and the ' Field ' 

 newspaper of last year, there can be no doubt that the cuckoo 

 visited this country at an unusually early date. The lovely 

 weather we experienced in March appears to have tempted that 

 wonderful bird, " a March cuckoo," to pay us a visit. 



Wild Duck {Anas hoscas). — Immense flocks of birds, probably 

 of different species, passed over St. Albans at different times during 

 the month of December. Mr. Coles, Worley Street ; Mr. Garner, 

 Christ Churcli ; Mr. Pelley, and others, called my attention to the 

 fact, and asked me if I had seen them. Amongst them I noticed 

 wild duck passing over, and Mr. Coles did the same. 



PocHAEB {Fuligida ferina). — Mr. T. Y. Roberts, in a letter dated 

 22nd January, 1 894, says : '* Last Saturday afternoon, when walking 

 by the Colne below Hamper Mills, I saw four ducks on the water. 

 They took to flight as I approached, three disappearing, tlie fourth 

 flying heavily for a short distance. Overtaking, I got quite close 

 to the last-mentioned bird, and found that it was a pochard. It 

 was much distressed and had evidently been wounded. JS'o doubt 

 its companions were of the same species." t 



PiTFFiN {Fratercula arctica). — Mr. Martin, a local taxidermist, ■ 



showed a pufiin to me which had been picked up alive in St. Albans ^ 



on the 1 5th of November. 



Albinism. — Mr. H. Sexton reports that just below Ridge Hill 

 he observed on the 5th of October a blackbird {Turdus merula) 1 



with a white patch of feathers on its back. * 



I have received reports of rare birds having been picked up 

 alive or shot during the severe frost experienced at the beginning 

 of this year, which must appear in the next annual report. 



